Hardik Pandya on being retained as Mumbai Indians captain: ‘It means the world to me’

Hardik Pandya is set to continue leading Mumbai Indians (MI) as the five-time IPL champions stuck with their core group of players while unveiling their retention picks on Thursday. Jasprit Bumrah was named the five-time champions’ top pick at Rs 18 crore while the trio of Pandya, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were retained at Rs 16.3 crore each.

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MI also retained middle-order batter Tilak Varma, whom they had scouted and acquired ahead of the 2022 mega auction and see as a future member of the core group.

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Reacting to being retained as skipper ahead of the 18th season of the world’s biggest T20 league, Pandya said that it meant “the world to him” and that the upcoming season is going to be “even more special”.

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“It’s been fantastic. I think I have received a lot of love back. It means the world to me, as I’ve always mentioned, my journey started here. Everything I’ve achieved in my life has been a part of Mumbai Indians. Playing again, every year is a special year, and this year is going to be even more special.

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“We remember as a group 2013, 2015, 2017, ‘19 and ‘20. I think all of our fans know what happened in those years, and we are going to come back in 2025 even stronger than that. You lose and win on the ground,” Pandya said in a video shared by Mumbai Indians on social media.

Pandya also used an interesting analogy while describing MI’s five retentions ahead of the mega auction and added that they are going to “come all guns blazing” next season.

“Five people who have cherished good memories together. We are five fingers but one fist. That’s how I look at it. We are going to come all guns blazing. Brotherhood, friendship, and at the same time, we are going to back each other no matter what happens,” Pandya added.

𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 💙💙💙💙💙

“We have always believed that the strength of a family lies in its core and this belief has been reinforced during the course of recent events.

We are thrilled that the strong legacy of MI will be carried forward by Jasprit, Surya, Hardik, Rohit and… pic.twitter.com/G70B6DyZhw

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) October 31, 2024

MI have had a mixed run since they won their fifth title in 2020. After narrowly missing out in the playoffs in 2021, they would finish at the bottom of the table in 2022. Rohit would then lead the side into the playoffs in 2023, where they lost to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 in Ahmedabad.

MI underwent a radical transformation ahead of the 2024 edition earlier this year, bringing Pandya back from Gujarat Titans in a blockbuster trade ahead of last year’s auction in Dubai. The trade led to reports of a rift within the group with Rohit, under whose leadership MI won all five of their titles, unhappy at being demoted from captaincy.

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Pandya’s maiden season as Mumbai captain was a forgettable one. The skipper booed by fans, not only at the Wankhede Stadium but at away venues such as Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, GT’s home venue. Mumbai also finished at the bottom of the table for the second time in three years after winning four and losing 10.

Rohit and Pandya, however, have since appeared to have buried the hatchet with the duo playing key roles in helping India win the T20 World Cup in the US and the Caribbean, the former as the captain.